Best Practices for Maintaining Your Lawn in Summer

Summer heat can wreak havoc on your beautiful lawn, and as a homeowner, protecting your lawn against this seasonal threat should be a priority. Understandably, you don’t want the effort, money, and time that you’ve put into your lawn to go down the drain. This article will give you the best practices for maintaining your lawn during summer. Alternatively, you can hire U.S. Lawns commercial landscaping services for hassle-free summer lawn maintenance.

1. Water Properly

Although lawn grasses can go dormant when there is a water shortage and come back to life when moisture levels increase, there might be times when you will need to water your lawn. Lawns should be:

• Watered deeply until you see a puddle -This will enable your plants to take deep roots and survive the dry conditions.
• Watered during the cooler times of the day, especially the evening.
• Watered infrequently – The recommended period is between 10-14 days apart.

Moreover, If you have rainwater, you should consider using it since it contains more nutrients than tap water.

1. Sharpen Your Mower Blade Regularly

Summer heat can dry the grass, making them harder to cut. This, in turn, can lead to blunting of the mower cutting edge. Blunt blade edges tear grass, making it susceptible to losing moisture faster. You can also buy a second blade if you want to avoid the hassle of sharpening blades every now and then.

1. Mow High

The primary concern during summer is to reduce the chances of grass drying, and therefore you ought to mow higher than normal to encourage heat tolerance. Taller grasses also provide more shade and therefore prevent loss of moisture. A good rule of thumb is to cut no more than a third of the grass length. After cutting the grass, you should leave the grass cuttings to act as mulch.

1. Be Proactive in Controlling Bugs

Summer is the time of the year when all types of pests come out to play. Summer temperatures, the abundance of food sources, high moisture levels, and sunlight create a favorable environment for pests to increase their activities. Below is a list of steps you can take to reduce pests:

• Clear any debris in your lawn as it can create an ideal environment for pests to thrive.
• Trim any overgrown vegetation in your surrounding. Pests will have nowhere to hide, and the chances of them finding refuge anywhere on your lawn will be greatly minimized.
• Remove any trash cans lying around your compound. They can act as a food source for insects, allowing them to live and breed on your lawn.
• You should also eliminate unnecessary stagnant water on your lawn.

1. Get Rid of Weeds

Weeds are the biggest threat to a healthy lawn. They not only compete for nutrients and water with your grass, but they will also rob your grass of sunlight. Also, weeds can spread weed seeds which will ruin your lawn. Summer is the best time to get rid of weeds because the heat will kill the roots, and it will be easier to pull them out. You can also use organic weed killers because they don’t contain chemicals that can damage your grass. Pre-emergent weed killers will prevent weeds from growing in your lawn.

1. Fertilize

Fertilizing is crucial in the summer because your grass will require more nutrients due to the heat and humidity of summer. You can use a slow-release fertilizer, or a liquid fertilizer that is applied to the lawn. However, you should take care not to apply excessive amounts of fertilizer to avoid scorching your grass.

1. Overseed Your Lawn

This is a summertime must-do. Overseeding is the act of seeding new grass into your lawn.  Why do this?  Well, if you have a thin or patchy lawn or want to bring in a new variety of grass, this is the way to do it.  You can give your lawn the perfect, thick, and lush look that you’ve always envisioned.  You can seed your yard with the same grass type that you already have, or you can give your lawn a little more diversity by adding a new type of grass.

Summer brings its own set of challenges with regard to lawn care. However, if you follow the steps mentioned above, your instant lawn Melbourne can withstand anything the summer heat throws its way.